


Fever

by shewhorantstoomuch



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Camping, Child Death, Dreams and Nightmares, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, takes place in the time between duelist kingdom and battle city
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25656721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewhorantstoomuch/pseuds/shewhorantstoomuch
Summary: "You're burning up," he declared. "Switch places with me, you need to rest."Yugi catches ill. Yami switches places with him and deals with the consequences.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler & Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi & Yami Yuugi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	Fever

It was on the third and final night of his camping trip with Joey that the yami shook him awake from a restless sleep.

"Yugi," he said. "Yugi, wake up. You've fallen ill." The boy knew from the moment he cracked open his eyes that the spirit was correct. Heat smothered his body and coated him in sweat. His stomach was a ball of nausea. Even his breathing was labored, stressed under the heavy weight of his fever.

He looked up at his spirit guide. The yami placed a hand against his forehead and frowned.

"You're burning up," he declared. "Switch places with me, you need to rest."

Yugi stared back at him with bleary eyes. Just as the yami was about to repeat himself, the boy nodded in agreement.

The body was hot and uncomfortable, but he took it without complaint. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the night. Insects chirped from outside, rejoicing in the summer season. Joey snored loudly from the other end of the tent. From the depths of his mind, he heard Yugi bid him goodnight.

"Goodnight, Yami."

He smiled. "Sleep well, little pharaoh."

~☆~☆~☆~☆~

Joey Wheeler was fiddling with the buttons of his raincoat when he looked over at Yugi's sleeping form. He stopped.

Yugi had never slept like this.

The boy who usually slept covered in pillows and blanks now lay exposed ontop of his sleeping bag. His pajamas had been tossed aside sometime in the night, leaving him clad only in his boxers. Stranger still was his position. He was resting on his back, arms crossed upon his chest.

Joey gawked at him for a little while more before eventually deciding that he should atleast do something. He crawled towards him, discovering almost immediately that he was unwell as he drew closer. He was just about to reach out a hand and feel his forehead when Yugi sat upright; moving with all the shock and speed of a vampire rising from its coffin. 

A clap of thunder sounded from outside. Joey yelped, falling backwards and hitting his head against one of the less cushioned parts of the tent floor. He sat up, rubbing his head. "What the hell, Yugi?"

"I'm sorry," he uttered, holding a hand up. "I didn't mean to scare you. You just surprised me."

"I surprised you? You nearly scared me to death!" Suddenly he stopped, crawling closer to get a better look at his friend. Joey narrowed his eyes.

"Waaait a minute, you're the guy that takes over when Yugi's duelin'. What's goin' on here?" The yami smiled to himself. No matter how much Tristan teased him, Joey was far from dumb.

"Yugi caught a fever in the middle of the night, and we traded places so he could rest easier. He's still unwell, but he'll be fine."

The taller boy was unconvinced. "Are ya sure? I was just about to head out and phone Gramps; I can take him to a hospital if–"

"No," he insisted. "I assure you, Yugi is in no danger. If anything changes you'll be the first to know, but all he needs right now is rest." Yami could feel the boy in their soulscape, sleeping peacefully. A doctor wasn't nessesary; he would be fine. 

After a moment of silence, Joey spoke. "Okay, I believe ya. I'm gonna be headed out to a phone booth to call Gramps. We're gonna have to stay one more night. No use tryin' to pack it up and head home in the middle of a thunderstorm. Ya need anything b'fore I go?"

The yami thought for a moment. "Some water, please." His friend crouched down and rummaged through one of their bags until found a bottle. 

"Here," he said, handing it to him. "Don't drink it all at once, it'll just make ya sicker. I'll be back soon."

"Thank you," he replied, taking a sip. Joey gave the boy a thumbs up before unzipping the tent flap and heading out into the pouring rain. The yami's gaze lingered upon the space where he once stood, then laid back down to sleep.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~

The young boy paced along the bank of the Nile, anxiously scaning the water for his friend. 

"Hey," he called. "Hurry up, this is dangerous!" Silence. Then a head broke through to the surface. His mopey hair covered most of his face, but not his wide grin.

"I've almost found it," he shouted back. "I can feel it!" Giving him no time to protest, he went back under. The boy on the shore whined to himself. They had been at this for some time now. He looked around.

The palms above him swayed gently in the breeze. A heron stood nearby, motionless as it waited for fish to swim near. A vulture took flight in the blue sky overhead. He figited nervously with his hands, agitation gnawing at his stomach.

Finally, his friend emerged once more. "Got it!" he shouted, clenching the pendant in his tan fist. 

The pharaoh's son felt all his worries melt away as his companion swam to shore. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" He ran up to meet him, throwing his arms around him in a big hug. The other child simply laughed, placing the beetle pendant back to its rightful place around his neck.

"Come on, let's go before the servants get suspicious." They grabbed ahold of one another's hand and climbed back up the riverbank, heading home.

They were halfway there when the youth felt his friend trip and lose his grasp on his hand. The child gasped, losing his balance and falling over as a snake retreated into the sand. 

"Help," he cried. "I think I got bit." 

The youth leaned down, helping his friend to his feet. "Get on my back. I'll carry you the rest of the way."

He carried him the rest of the way home. Blood from the bite dripped down the other boy's ankle with each step. Despite his shivers of pain, his friend seldom made any noise save for a quiet whimper.

"We're almost there," he panted. "Look, I see help coming now." A flurry of servants ran to his aid almost as soon as the mud brick palace came into view. They swept the boy off of his back, carrying him inside and out of sight.

It was late night by the time he was able to see him again. A single candle lit the room. His once bright face had grown pale and sickly. He panted even as he lay asleep, forehead beaded with sweat. The pharaoh's son took off his necklace and placed it upon his friend, positioning it so the pendant laid neatly on his chest. It glowed faintly in the candle light.

"It's yours now," he said quietly, choking on his tears. "You get to keep it." 

As the light grew dim, his friend's time came. He began gasping a horrible rattle, as if his lungs had been crushed under the breath that was meant to carry them. The young boy closed his eyes and took ahold of his hand for the last time, tracing the inside of his palm while he murmured a prayer.

"May you be given bread and beer, beef and fowl, clothing and ointment; everything good and pure such as the souls of the blessed dead live upon."

When the sound ceased, he opened his eyes and leaned forward, kissing his forehead and weeping goodbye as the candle went out.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~

"Yami!"

He was startled awake by the sound of Yugi's voice. Grumbling, he sat up. "Yes, what is it?"

The boy stared back at him, eyes brimming with tears. "Are you okay? You were having a bad dream." 

"I'm alright, Yugi." he soothed. "Please, go get some more rest. You still don't look well."

Yugi was unconvinced, brows still furrowed in worry. "Yami..."

"I'm fine," he insisted, reaching out to grab ahold of the boy's hand. "It was just a bad dream. There's nothing to worry about. You still need to sleep."

They sat in silence for a moment, no sound but the rain beating against the outside of the tent. Then, Yugi squeezed his hand. "Okay." Yami smiled as the boy's image faded away.

He felt something wet upon his cheek, and realized with surprise that they were tears. The spirit wiped them away. No wonder Yugi had been concerned.

But what was he dreaming about that had made him so upset? It wasn't anything about the present, it was something from the past... Something about a boy, maybe? He couldn't remember.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the tent flap being unzipped. Joey stepped in, unbuttoning his rain jacket. "Hey Yug, I'm back. Feelin' any better?"

"Welcome back," he replied. "I'm more or less the same, I'm afraid. How was your trip?"

"Eh, nothin' exciting." His friend zipped the tent flap shut and made his way over to him, sitting down. "Was able to get ahold of Gramps and tell him we'd be a bit late, so that's all that matters." 

He unscrewed his water bottle and took a sip. "Anything happen here while I was gone?"

Yami shook his head, stifling a yawn. "No. I just slept."

"Good, ya need the rest. Oh, and that reminds me–" He pulled a bag towards him and rummaged through it until he found a sack of granola bars. "–need anything to eat?"

"Yes, thank you." Joey handed him a bar. He opened the wrapping and took a bite. It tasted strange, but it soothed the pain in his stomach. Joey also unwrapped a bar. They ate together in silence for awhile, no sound but the rain beating against the tent and the birds chirping outside.

"Hey Yugi?"

The yami swallowed a mouthful of granola. "Yes?"

"I been thinkin'." Joey sat his bar down. "So, Bakura has one of them spirit thingies too, right?"

"Correct. The Millennium Ring."

"And that one has a spirit livin' inside of it like you live in Yugi's puzzle?"

The yami nodded, taking another bite of his granola.

"Then how come that spirit is all creepy an' evil to him while you're nice? Did Bakura do somethin' to piss it off?"

He blinked. "I... can't say for certain. I don't think it was anything Bakura did or didn't do. I think the spirit is just... vengeful. It doesn't care about anything but itself."

The yami felt a pang of sympathy for the child. Poor Bakura; a soft spoken boy forced to host such a violent being. He remembered the night the two of them spoke by the campire, staying up long after the others had gone to sleep. Even with friends, he had a loneliness he always carried with him, like an invisible wall stood between him and the outside world. Such a pity.

His thoughts were interrupted by a large yawn. Joey laughed.

"Looks like you still need some sleep! I'll be lookin' over my card deck, just let me know if ya need anything." He retrieved his cards out of the bag and began shuffling through them.

Nodding, the yami pulled the blanket over himself and laid back down to rest.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~

Even in his fever ridden state, the boy knew something was wrong when he woke up in bed and his sister was gone. They weren't supposed to sneak out tonight. Father said that if they were good, he'd let them watch the duel tomorrow. Why would she go back on her word now?

He grumbled to himself as he sat up in bed, rubbing his eye before setting out to look for her. First place to check: the fig garden. Maybe if he was careful, he could find her and bring her back to bed without anyone even knowing they were gone.

The boy set out down the dark halls of the palace. He was still sore with fever. Every step made his muscles ache in protest, but he pressed on. He was to be pharaoh someday, father had said, and that meant he had to be responsible.

After having to rest against the pillars several times to catch his breath, the garden entrance finally came into view. One of the outdoor cats came padding forward to rub against his legs.

"Hello Joba," The boy greeted. "Sorry, I can't play right now."

A full moon lit the chilly night. He scanned the trees and ferns, searching for any trace of his sister among them.

"Kiya?" he called. "Kiya? Where are you?" 

No reply.

Scowling, he made his way down the moonlit path, the cat following behind him. Goosebumps rose upon his skin as the cold wind grazed it.

"Sister, this isn't funny! We're supposed to be in bed!" His agitation grew as he began to shiver. "You're gonna get us into trouble!"

Silence was his only answer. 

Suddenly he stopped, and turned his head.

On the edge of the garden was a steep slope leading down to a sandbank along the river. At night, it became infested with crocodiles. A sick feeling rose in his stomach.

He ran ahead, praying that he was wrong. Surely she wouldn't go anywhere near it. She was smarter than that, she was the smartest person he knew. No one else could explain dueling to him the way she could, not even his own father. 

The pharaoh's son stopped just short of tumbling down the slope. On the sandbank stood his sister, staring aimlessly at the yellow eyes of the crocodiles in the water. 

"Kiya!"

She remained motionless as her brother scrambled to her side. The girl seemed to have fallen over on her descent; her night clothes scuffled with dirt. He grabbed her hand and tried to urge her away from the shore.

"Sister," he gasped. "What are you doing? We need to go back inside."

Kiya didn't budge. One of the beasts in the water hissed, the sound sending shivers down his spine. He tugged on her hand once more.

"Please," he begged. "We need to go. It's cold, and we're both sick. Father will be mad if he finds us li–"

His sister turned to lock eyes with him.

"Yugioh."

The boy stopped, still holding onto the older girl's hand. "What?"

"Yugioh," she repeated. Her stare was bottomless pit that he felt himself suffocating in. "Yugioh, king of games."

"Kiya, you're not making any–"

"The king of games," she rasped. "You were born special. Everyone knew it, even your mother."

His mother. He and Kiya didn't come from the same womb, he was born to a member of his father's harem who died shortly after. It was not at all a secret, but the topic always left him feeling uneasy. He squirmed under his sister's gaze.

"Kiya," he pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please, come inside. You're scaring me."

In a moment that would haunt him for the rest of his life, Kiya broke free of his grip and ran to the water. The quiet of the night was broken by the sound of crocodiles thrashing as they fought over the fresh kill, and the screaming of the pharaoh's children.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~

The yami bolted upright in his sleep and scrambled for the tent flap, knocking his friend's cards out of his hands and all over the floor. He fumbled with the zipper for a moment before bursting out into the storm.

"What the–"

Hand clamped over his mouth, he sprinted into the wilderness, ignoring Joey as he called after him. Twigs scrapped his feet as he ran past. He tripped, tumbling face first into the mud before picking himself up and continuing on. 

Finally he stopped, falling to his knees at the bank of a river and vomitting. The bile stung as it came up his throat. Beside him, he saw Yugi's apparition.

"Yami, what are you doing? We need to get back to the campsite, you can't just—"

"Stop," he moaned, putting his hands over his ears. "Please, stop."

"But–"

"Please!"

Yugi watched in silence as his spirit counterpart heaved. Slowly, the downpour calmed into a gentle rain. They both turned around at the sound of footsteps. 

Joey emerged from the undergrowth, clad in a rain jacket. He walked forward and drapped a towel around his friend's shoulders.

"I won't ask what's goin' on, but I ain't gonna leave ya out in the rain like this." 

The other boy helped him to his feet, leading him back down the path. Shivering, he let Joey guide him back to camp. 

It had stopped raining completely by the time they arrived. The sun shone on the wet earth, leaving it green and glittering. His friend stopped, drying his feet off with the towel before opening the tent flap. He crawled to his sleeping bag, exhausted, and shut his eyes once more. The last thing he was aware of was the feeling of Joey's hand ruffling his hair.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~

Yami woke up in Yugi's side of the soulscape, laying in the boy's childhood bed. When he sat up, the youth appeared next to him, grabbing ahold of his arm.

"Yugi?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "We shouldn't have switched. I didn't know you would have nightmares..."

"It can't be helped. As long as you were able to rest, that's all that–"

"But you matter, too!" Yugi protested, gripping his arm tighter. "You're a part of me. I never would've put you through that had I known what would happen."

His eyes filled with tears at the last part. Sighing, Yami brushed them away with his thumb. Before the spirit could even think to say anything, Yugi threw his arms around his neck in a hug.

"I'll take over now," the boy mumbled into his shoulder. "I don't want you having anymore nightmares." 

He hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace. Giving in so easily hurt his pride, but he knew better than to try arguing with Yugi. His friend pulled away to meet his gaze.

"I know you've lost people, but don't forget that you still have friends here who love you. You still matter to us." He squeezed his hand. "Stay here and rest. You need it."

Yami nodded. Yugi smiled and hopped off the bed, pulling the covers back over his spirit guide. He watched him as he ran off back into the physical realm. The yami smiled to himself. Laying down, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, protected from danger by the loving aura of the soulscape.


End file.
